


Father Knows Best

by Nike



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Dark, Family, Friendship, Kidnapping, Lesbian Character, Queer Characters, Tadashi Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2803640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nike/pseuds/Nike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"No one's going to come looking.  They think we're dead."  The worst part was that it was true, because Tadashi didn't think he could get out of this alone.  That didn't mean he was going to stop trying, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't part of the Big Heroes series. It's a different AU for how things could have happened with the movie and the result of reading too many "Callaghan kidnapped Tadashi" fics combining with my own headcanons. Honestly, the idea just struck me and the next thing I knew I had nearly three thousand words of what has to be one of the more disturbing things I've ever written.

**Father Knows Best**

Tadashi ran. It was, he admitted privately, probably not the smartest thing to do but his only other option seemed to be staying put and that was just _stupid_. It didn't help that he was honestly terrified. If he hadn't rescued Hiro from so many bot fights gone sour, he'd probably be too scared to think straight. As it was, he knew he could perform under pressure and even now was searching for a way out.

Tadashi knew he had to be in some sort of bunker, probably even underground, but it also looked professional and that meant there had to be some sort of emergency exit, likely complete with signs. So he kept his eyes peeled as he ran and _there_! He hit the door at a good clip, making it fly open under the force of his body and then he was out in the fresh night air. He gulped at it it greedily even as he paused to take stock of where he was. It wasn't a street or road like he'd hoped. In fact, based on the location of the city lights, he was on one of the islands in the bay. He cast frantically about. There had to be some docks or a helicopter pad or something. They'd gotten on the island, after all, so there had to be a way _off_.

A noise from behind made him look back to see what looked like dark shadows spilling out of the door into the night. With a panicked shout, he ran, not really heeding where he was going as long as it was away. Then the ground gave way under his feet or wasn't there to begin with and Tadashi yelped as he fell, hands and feet scrambling to catch himself on something that wasn't there. There were twisted, jagged spikes of metal below him and he was going to be impaled long before he hit the ground, he realized in terror. Then his fall was halted by something grabbing his feet and hanging him upside-down. A spike was mere inches from his eye. He let out a shuddering breath, but then had trouble breathing in as he felt the microbots crawling to cover his body even as he was pulled up and out of the hole in the ground. His limbs were firmly restrained once more by the time he was brought face-to-face with Professor Callaghan. 

Tadashi had firmly lost control of his breathing, definitely hyperventilating and a step away from outright crying in distress and fear because he was trapped on a death-trap of an island with this man wearing the face of someone he'd once trusted. He didn't want to be here. He wanted this to be some sort of nightmare that would soon end and he'd wake safe and sound in his own bed, Hiro in the next bed over and the familiar sounds of Aunt Cass and Mochi coming up from the floor below. Instead, he'd been kidnapped and he didn't even know _why_.

"Shh. You're alright. You're safe. I won't let anything hurt you," Robert Callaghan murmured as he reached out and affectionately held Tadashi, ignoring the way Tadashi stiffened at his touch. It just made things worse, having Callaghan act all fatherly. Once, Tadashi had adored the man for willingly being the male role model and father-figure he hadn't had since his own father had died. Now it just reminded Tadashi of exactly how twisted this whole situation was. The worst part was it actually was helping him stop hyperventilating.

"Why are you doing this?" Tadashi gasped brokenly as Callaghan continued to hold him and rub his back. 

"I knew you were going to be something special the moment I first met you, but I didn't know how special until I introduced you to Abigail. It was like watching sparks fly. You became so close and it was such a pleasure to witness it, seeing the steps as they happened and knowing where they'd eventually lead. Knowing that you'd end up together and even, one day, become my son," the professor said, pulling back to look at Tadashi as he spoke, but keeping his hands on Tadashi's shoulders in a friendly gesture even as he controlled the microbots still holding Tadashi bound and captive. Then his face darkened and his grip on Tadashi's shoulders grew painfully tight, making Tadashi gasp.

"Then Krei killed her, murdered her in front of a whole slew of witnesses, and got away with it! And I saw you drowning yourself in your work, even pulling all-nighters, working on that robot as if it would've made a difference, as if it could have stopped her death if it had just been made earlier. It about killed me, watching that."

Callaghan's grip had loosened and turned affectionate once more, rubbing Tadashi's shoulders and upper arms in what was no doubt supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"The moment I saw Hiro's microbots, I knew what I had to do. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, of course, but I had to hide my tracks. And I knew I couldn't wait any longer when I watched you leaving with your brother. I set the fire and was going to leave without a trace when you came in looking for me. I knew you would; we have such a close bond. It was a work of a moment to rescue you from the explosion, to get us both to safety. And it works out so brilliantly this way. They think we're dead, so no one's going to come looking for us."

"You can't keep me here forever," Tadashi protested once he found his voice again. 

"Oh, we won't be here forever. Just long enough to set my plans into motion. Krei needs to pay, Tadashi, for what he did to Abigail and I'm going to make sure he does."

God, Professor Callaghan had gone off the deep end. He was sanely rationalizing his actions, even though they involved theft, arson, and kidnapping, not to mention planning to ruin a man's life. It made Tadashi tremble as the enormity of what the man had done, was still doing, hit him.

"Come on, let's get you inside. I don't want you catching a chill," Callaghan stated in response to Tadashi's shiver. As the microbots carefully carried him inside, Tadashi realized he had no clue how he was going to get out of this.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At some point, Robert Callaghan had apparently convinced himself that Tadashi was his son in all but blood, never mind that Tadashi and Abigail had emphatically not been dating nor even considering it. They'd just been friends. Good friends, sure, but nothing like that. Tadashi personally leaned towards asexual, and not the gray kind, while he was pretty certain Abby had had a thing for the fairer sex. He didn't dare try to explain that to the professor however. He was afraid of what the man would do to him if Tadashi burst his bubble that badly. As it was...

"We weren't dating, you know. Abigail and me. We weren't-"

"You would've been by now if not for Krei," Callaghan insisted.

"But-"

Callaghan silenced him by pressing a hand to Tadashi's mouth.

"Shh. Don't worry, son. Krei's going to pay for what he did and then everything will be alright. We'll start over, you and I." There was a fanatical look in his eyes that frightened Tadashi, which was why he complied when Callaghan ordered, "Look over the numbers again."

"Yes, sir."

As it was, Tadashi was currently his very unwilling accomplice. Callaghan had him working on the numbers for the portal, double-, triple-, and even quadruple-checking them to make sure it would work. Tadashi did it partially because it was really the only thing he was allowed to do and boredom was bad enough when you weren't in a kidnapping situation, but mostly because Professor Callaghan really scared him.

It wasn't just the way Professor Callaghan kept calling Tadashi "Son". It wasn't even that he insisted Tadashi refer to him as his father. It was his "Father knows best" routine. Any time Tadashi tried to escape, to resist, to just be anything other than obediently compliant, the man would grow angry or, worse, cold. Then he'd do things to Tadashi, saying, "It's for your own good." Things like locking him into a pitch black room for indefinite amounts of time, forcing him to wake up and go to bed at odd intervals, even once taking his belt to Tadashi's backside for even daring to suggest abandoning the plan against Krei. It was stressful and wearing Tadashi down. 

Unfortunately, Tadashi suspected that was the point. At some point, the professor must have read a book on psychology because every so often he seemed to test Tadashi for the symptoms for Stockholm Syndrome. That, of course, just frightened Tadashi even more. He'd _been_ emotionally attached to the professor. The idea of remaining so considering the circumstances...

Tadashi shivered, then jumped in his seat a moment later when a blanket was suddenly wrapped around his shoulders.

"Don't want you catching a cold, son," Callaghan said with an affectionate tousle of Tadashi's hair before he went back to what he was working on. Tadashi hunkered down in the blanket as he turned back to his numbers, the handcuffs binding his ankles to the seat clinking as he shifted. He wished he could go home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tadashi was fairly certain he was the only reason Robert Callaghan even bothered to stop to eat at all. The man was fanatical as he reverse-engineered Hiro's microbots and figured out how to make the portal work outside of the room it had been sealed in and only seemed interested in food at all because he was determined to keep Tadashi alive, whole, and healthy.

The man also insisted on 'family' meals. The table was small and intimate and the conversation was kept to lighter topics as they ate. If Tadashi didn't have his legs bound to a chair that was bolted to the floor, or wasn't stuck eating with just a spoon because the professor had decided the other utensils were too dangerous for him to have access to, it would've come across as nice. As it was, Tadashi was starting to struggle to find conversation topics that didn't bring up the weather he hadn't been exposed to in weeks, what they were currently working on, or Tadashi's real family. As it was, the conversations drifted towards Abigail and what the professor had thought was going on between them a little too much for Tadashi's comfort. Not only did it bring about a return of Callaghan's assumptions for what Tadashi's position in the professor's life should be, but it all too often ended with the man ranting and raving about how he was going to make Alistair Krei pay for what he'd done to 'their' beloved Abigail.

Tadashi had seen the videos - Callaghan had forced him to - and Tadashi wasn't certain Callaghan was even right. Sure, Krei had given the go ahead, but there were other scientists involved who hadn't argued. If the fluctuations _were_ within the set parameters, then there would've been no reason to believe it would cause an issue. There was also the fact Abigail had been willing to go into something she'd no doubt known was potentially dangerous. She'd always been a bit of a daredevil and Tadashi had both wanted to introduce her to Gogo and put it off for the same reason: they'd have gotten on like a house on fire.

Still, Abigail wasn't suicidal and it had hurt watching the return portal go up in flames. He hated Professor Callaghan for making him watch his friend die. He clung to that emotion too, even if he had to bury it deep so his kidnapper couldn't see it. He hated the man for stealing his brother's tech, for deciding his pain was worth more than other people's, for ripping Tadashi away from his _family_. He hated the man for what he'd become even as he mourned the man he'd once been. And it gave him the determination to keep going, despite the random rules and "For your own goods" and the professor verbally tearing him down before making him recheck the numbers yet again. Tadashi was going to survive and he was going to get back to his family.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Something was going on. In the past few weeks, Tadashi had gotten used to the professor disappearing for a few hours every few days as he checked up on where-ever he was mass-producing the microbots and somehow gained supplies, mostly food. Tadashi suspected the man was stealing because dead men don't have debit cards. But the day the man had decided to shut down the mass-production and bring the microbots to the island so he could start moving the portal, he came back with the microbots and a scowl.

"What happened?" Tadashi ventured. When Robert Callaghan's scowl hit him full force, he quickly tacked on, "Father," and looked down, hoping to appear contrite. Something about the expression must have set the man off, however, because Tadashi found himself being hauled out of his chair by the microbots and thrown rather roughly into what he thought of as the Dark Room. Tadashi didn't know how long he spent in there - it was impossible to tell time in the pitch dark - but he had the distinct impression that he was being punished in lieu of someone else.

What had to be be hours later, a rather contrite-looking Callaghan let him out. He ran his hands over Tadashi, as if making sure he was uninjured, before pulling Tadashi into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Tadashi," he murmured into the younger man's ear.

"I'm sure you had a reason for locking me up," Tadashi carefully stated, making it sound like he was accepting the apology. The man probably did have a reason. Not a good one, based on the way the man's mind seemed to be working these days, and certainly nothing that would excuse his actions but a reason why he'd thought it was a good idea nonetheless.

"Not that. I... I'm so sorry, Tadashi, but your brother, Hiro... He's dead."

Tadashi stiffened in the older man's arms. He was lying. He had to be. He didn't even realize the whispered, "No," was his own until the professor replied to it.

"I saw him out joy-riding with your friends from college. You know, the group with the weird nicknames. They were doing insane things like high-speed corners and out-racing the trains. The car ended up in the bay and I didn't see anyone come up."

Tadashi stood there as the other man continued to hug his stiff form, his hands fisting. Callaghan had been there. The microbots were water-proof. And if it had actually happened, if Callaghan wasn't lying... The punch took them both by surprise.

Callaghan touched his split lip with an odd expression, as if he'd had the emotions shocked out of him, even as the microbots quickly restrained Tadashi before he could try again.

"You bastard! You were there! You could've saved them! You could have saved _him_!" Tadashi screamed as he struggled against the microbots, all his anger and hatred for the man standing in front of him rearing its ugly head. It apparently shook Callaghan out of whatever reverie he'd been in, because the look he shot Tadashi went from surprised to hard very quickly. The microbots' grip suddenly became very painful. Tadashi had to stop struggling lest something in his body break, but he continued to seethe.

"Don't look at me like that!" Callaghan ordered. "I said don't look at me!"

The backhand sent Tadashi's head spinning and a small part of his brain started comparing what he was experiencing versus concussions and whiplash. Then the microbots were moving again. Tadashi was surprised when they deposited him onto the medical bed he'd been sleeping on these past few weeks, but when the microbots held him down as the professor strapped him into place, it made a lot more sense.

"Let me go! You can't do this! You bastard!" Tadashi shouted as he struggled the entire time. But even after the microbots finally moved away, the restraints did their job and held him in place. Then his shouting was stopped when Callaghan forcibly gagged him with a piece of fabric knotted enough to weigh down his tongue while forcing his jaw apart enough to prevent him from gnawing through the part tied behind his head. Tadashi snarled around it, but it muffled any actual words. Then he was blindfolded as well.

Tadashi was starting to panic now. This was worse than the Dark Room. At least in the Dark Room he could move around and do things like count how many footsteps it took to reach one side of the room to the other. When the light was flipped off, even the hint that had managed to sneak past the edges of the blindfold was gone, leaving him in total darkness. The only thing he could really sense was the bed and the restraints.

"Bed time," he heard Robert Callaghan declare before Tadashi heard the door shut and lock. Tadashi had never felt so alone or helpless.

~*~*~*~*~*~

For the next two or three days, or so Tadashi assumed, he was only allowed up from the bed and its restraints for maybe a half-an-hour at what he assumed was three times a day. It was just long enough for Tadashi to be allowed to use the restroom before being force-fed. At no point was he ever unbound as the microbots took the place of the bed's restraints. The gag was only removed long enough for something to be shoved into his mouth to eat or for water to be poured down his throat. The blindfold was never removed at all. And Robert Callaghan remained silent the entire time, even after Tadashi had resorted to begging for forgiveness the moment the gag was removed, even if only so he could heard the sound of his own voice. 

The sensory deprivation was hell. With nothing but the bed and restraints to keep him grounded, his brain started making stuff up, mostly random sounds and brief flashes of images. Sometimes he wondered if he was actually being pulled out of bed at all or if he was just imagining things. Only the fact he wasn't dying of dehydration suggested it was real but, with no real way to tell the passage of time, it was easy to convince himself it had only been a few hours and not actually days and that it was possible he was just imagining it had happened.

Then one of the times he was having water poured down his throat, a human hand came to hold his head in place. Tadashi whined as much as he could while trying to drink as fast as he could lest he drown and, when the bottle was pulled away in response to the noise he made, Tadashi turned his head so he could press a cheek against the hand.

"Please," Tadashi begged as the thumb traced his cheekbone and the fingers threaded through his hair. There was a human sigh.

"I'm almost done. One more piece of the portal still needs to be moved, but then it'll be ready, and just in time for the grand opening. Krei's new building is going to be a pit by the time I'm done."

"No. Please!" Tadashi urged, struggling again. The gag was pushed back into his mouth while Callaghan whispered, "Hush." Tadashi started to cry as a gentle kiss was pressed to his forehead. Then he was restrained back onto the bed and left alone again. And Tadashi realized in terror that he had no clue what Callaghan planned to do with him once he was done with Krei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi knowing Abigail is originally from Becky Blue Eyes, although it's definitely worked its way into my own headcanon by this point. Next part should be up just after Christmas. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Oh, no," Honey Lemon whispered as Hiro and Baymax disappeared through the hole in the ceiling.

"Well, there goes our ride," Gogo stated.

"Wait! You mean we're stuck on this spooky island?" Wasabi asked in a rather panicked tone.

"No worries, dudes. I figured we might need a way to transport Yokai and the microbots, so I have Heathcliff on standby with the family chopper. All I have to do is call him and he'll pick us up toot sweet. That's Spanish for right away."

"Uh, it's really not," Honey Lemon pointed out.

"Do it. But I want to look around before we go," Gogo said.

"Wait, what? You want to spend extra time on the scary island? Why?" Wasabi demanded to know.

"Think about it. Someone had to turn on the power in here and why would Callaghan do it if all he was doing was stealing that portal? There has to be something else in here, maybe even the reason why he's doing this and what he's planned to do next."

The others exchanged looks.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to look while we're waiting for Heathcliff," Honey Lemon conceded.

"Yeah! Maybe this is his secret lair or something!" Fred enthused even as he grabbed his phone to send Heathcliff a text.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but fine, we'll do it your way," Wasabi reluctantly agreed.

"Good. First things first, I say we try and find a copy of that camera feed from earlier. Callaghan obviously didn't like that we were looking at it, so it might have some clues."

"Hey, should we try that door?" Fred asked as he pointed at a door with a red light positioned above it that was situated on the lower level of the room.

"Might as well. Let's go."

The door led to a long, branching hallway deep in the bunker. The lights were at full power and the room with its door standing open showed signs of recent habitation.

"Whoo! Jackpot!" Fred cried out as he pushed into what looked like a kitchen.

"Looks like a break room," Wasabi said as he noted the stockpile of food and tied off bags of trash.

"Uh, guys?" Honey Lemon said. She was looking at one of the two chairs standing at the room's single small table in dismay.

"Man, it looks like the professor was expecting some unwilling company for dinner," Fred stated.

"What's he planning on doing? Kidnapping Krei?" Gogo asked with a frown, smacking her gum.

"No," Wasabi stated bluntly. "There's been another person here. All of the food supplies and resulting trash say as much. It's too much for one person to have gone through since the fire."

"What?" Honey Lemon gasped in dismay even as she cast another look at the chair with chains attached to the legs and shuddered.

"An accomplice?" Gogo offered hesitantly.

"Ooh! Maybe they brain-washed Professor Callaghan to make him evil!" Fred suggested, only to wince when Gogo punched his arm.

"There's got to be more than this," she insisted. "Spread out and look around."

They went back to the hall and each one of them took a door.

"I've got a bedroom. Professor Callaghan's judging by the size of the clothes on the floor. He needs to do laundry," Wasabi stated.

"This one's locked," Gogo called from the door across from him.

"Empty storage closet," Fred announced from down the hall.

"Ooh! Workroom!" Honey Lemon enthused as she entered her room. She was already at the computer in the room and downloading the camera feed onto a USB stick when the others joined her.

"There! Silent Sparrow video downloading! Now to see if there's anything else... oh my god."

"What?"

Honey Lemon just shook her head and opened a video in reply. Everyone froze at what came up on the screen.

"This is Tadashi Hamada and it's been two weeks since I was kidnapped by Robert Callaghan. I'm putting this video with the information on Silent Sparrow in hopes that someone comes looking for it. I'm not entirely certain what he has planned for me but, just in case, tell my family I love them-"

"Wasabi! The locked door by Callaghan's room!" Gogo ordered as she sprinted from the room.

"Right!" Wasabi agreed as he ran after, Fred and Honey following. Once at the door, opening it was just a matter or cutting off the hinges. It was dark inside the room but the light in the hall allowed them to see someone flinch as the door hit the ground.

"Oh my god!" Honey Lemon gasped as she fumbled the room's lights on. "Tadashi!"

Blindfolded, gagged, and firmly bound to a medical berth, Tadashi Hamada nevertheless turned his head in Honey Lemon's direction and made a muffled noise before struggling against the straps holding him down.

"Hold still, man. I'll cut you free," Wasabi stated as he carefully brought his plasma-induced lasers into play.

"Yeah. We got you, dude," Fred added reassuringly even as Gogo removed the gag and blindfold. Tadashi winced visibly at the light and gasped once the gag was gone.

"Guys? You're here? Callaghan told me you were dead," Tadashi said, the hope in his voice enough to bring tears to any eyes that were still dry. Then he noticed what they were wearing.

"What're you... God, I'm hallucinating again, aren't I?"

"No! No, you're really not!" Honey Lemon quickly tried to reassure him even as they all helped him sit upright. Every single one of them kept a hand on his shivering form, as if they couldn't quite believe he was there, alive and in front of them. "We're here!"

"What are you wearing?"

"Super suits! Aren't they awesome?" Fred enthused as he struck a pose.

"Hiro made them," Honey Lemon added.

"Hiro? He's here?" Tadashi exclaimed as he pulled himself off the bed, only to sway dangerously before his friends caught him.

"Not anymore," Gogo explained. "He went after Callaghan."

"He wouldn't have gotten far, though," Wasabi insisted. "Baymax's advanced scanner was damaged. Hiro will have to fix it first."

Tadashi just looked even more confused.

"Your robotic nurse managed to scan Professor Callaghan when he donned a mask and tried killing us in a car chase," Gogo stated.

"My car's still in the bay," Wasabi lamented.

"Wait, that happened?! With you here, I thought.... I thought he was lying."

"We're not that easy to kill," Gogo stated with a smile. "Now let's get you home to your little brother before he does something really stupid. Fred, where's that chopper?"

"Making a landing now. Ready when you are."

"Let me just grab that USB," Honey Lemon insisted as she ran to get it.

"I'm more than ready to leave. And maybe you can explain what the hell I've missed, because I've got to be dreaming this," Tadashi replied unsteadily.

"Of course. Come on. Let's get you home."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Tadashi is here."

"Tadashi is dead!" Hiro shouted before breaking down, laying his head against Baymax's vinyl front. He brokenly whispered, "Tadashi's gone and he's not coming back."

"Tadashi is here," Baymax insisted.

"Hiro?"

Hiro's eyes popped open even as he froze. Slowly, fearfully, hopefully, he turned his head towards the garage door where he could see his big brother standing there like some sort of spirit. Except Tadashi hadn't looked like the ghost standing there.

The person standing in the garage entry was pale like he hadn't seen any sun in weeks and had dark circles under his eyes so big it looked like he'd taken a punch to the face. His hair was getting too long for it's current cut and the clothes didn't fit. The belt looked like it was barely holding on the pants and the sweatshirt was so old and ratty that it exposed most of one shoulder. Overall, he looked young and uncertain and vulnerable in a way Hiro had never seen Tadashi be and, even as Hiro stared, he shivered as if cold.

"Hiro?" he repeated and it was Tadashi's voice. Hiro found himself responding to that voice, taking one step towards the apparition and then another before Tadashi apparently decided to stop waiting and bridge the gap between them himself. Hiro found himself pressed into a hug against a warm, living, _familiar_ body that trembled as it held him.

"Where.... where were you?!" Hiro shouted between sobs as he clung to his brother because it was Tadashi. It _was_.

"Oh, Hiro, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Tadashi babbled in response, "I tried to leave but I couldn't get away. He... Callaghan, he wouldn't let me go. I should've tried harder. God, I never meant to leave you alone."

"Wait, what?" Hiro asked, pushing away to actually look at his brother before ordering, "Baymax, scan Tadashi."

"Scanning patient. Scan complete. Although currently experiencing elation and concern, neurotransmitter levels suggest the patient has been under intense, long-term stress. Other symptoms include signs of general malnutrition, especially a severe lack of vitamin D, a depressed immune system due to lack of proper sleep, as well as several contusions of varying age, particularly around the wrists and ankles. Patient also shows signs of tremors, although I am currently unable to determine if they are essential, physiological or psychogenic.

"Recommended treatment: making sure patient is safe, warm and comfortable and cold compresses for the bruises. Long-term care to include proper meals and adequate sleep at timed intervals and psychological treatment."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Tadashi admitted with a dry laugh before yelping when Baymax swept him off his feet and placed him on the couch. Tadashi immediately scrambled back to his feet, breathing harsh and fast.

"My apologies. I seem to have distressed the patient further," Baymax stated in a surprisingly worried tone for a robot.

"Ya think?"

Both brothers turned to the garage entry to see their friends.

"Guys! You- He's here! Tadashi's alive!"

"Who do you think found me, bonehead?" Tadashi asked with a breathless laugh even as he calmed.

"What? You guys... Wow. Uh, thanks."

"No problem. But next time, how about not leaving your team stranded on the spooky island?" Wasabi said with a smile. Hiro slapped his head.

"Oh god, guys, I'm sorry!"

"No problem, little dude. I had Heathcliff pick us up in the family chopper."

"Yeah, about that..." Tadashi began.

"He's rich," everyone echoed.

"Really?"

"Yep. And you should probably be sitting down," Hiro said as he tugged Tadashi back to the couch. "What was that anyway?"

"Ah. I, uh... Callaghan didn't exactly give me a lot of autonomy, especially after I punched him," Tadashi admitted even as he stubbornly refused to let Hiro sit him down on the couch. "Baymax moving me reminded me of Callaghan using the microbots to do the same."

"I shall make a note to try and obtain the patient's permission before attempting treatment," Baymax said.

"Go back to the bit where you punched Callaghan," Gogo insisted.

"Not much to say. He mentioned your car chase and said you were dead and I punched him for it, for all the good it did me. I pretty much wasn't allowed to move on my own after that," Tadashi admitted, giving a full body shudder even as his eyes took on a distant look, as if remembering something highly unpleasant.

"Would you like me to warm you?" Baymax asked.

"Huh? Oh. Sure."

Baymax wrapped himself around Tadashi from behind and started glowing. Tadashi melted into the embrace with a sigh and a pat on the robot's arm.

"Thanks, buddy."

"I don't get it," Hiro admitted as he paced. "We know Callaghan set the fire and stole my microbots, but why'd he take you, Tadashi? Heck, why's he doing any of this?"

"Because of Abigail," Tadashi replied before looking at Honey Lemon and asking, "Does that USB drive you grabbed have any of the Silent Sparrow footage?"

"That's pretty much all it is," Honey Lemon confessed as she produced the drive.

"Good. You guys need to see this."

"Oh, is it the magic hat video? Because that was pretty cool." Everyone gave Fred looks.

"Sort of," Tadashi conceded as he pulled away from Baymax to sit at the computer. He fast-forwarded to where Krei was demonstrating with the hat but pulled up a different feed, one where Callaghan was embracing the pilot before she headed for her pod.

"Wait, he was there?!"

"And who's the pilot? They looked really close."

"That is Abigail Callaghan," Tadashi stated as he paused on an image of the pilot, "Robert Callaghan's only child. She was my TA in Applied Aerodynamics my freshman year and we hit it off really well. So well that Callaghan apparently thought we were dating."

"Dude, aren't you gay or something?"

"Asexual, yeah, not that Callaghan wanted to hear that. He's convinced we were steps away from being father- and son-in-law.

"I don't know what he was thinking when he saved me from the explosion. Maybe that I'd help him get revenge against Krei. But he was also protective. _Really_ protective. You can't get hurt if you're safely locked away," Tadashi stated bitterly.

"So he didn't have any plans for you? It was just some odd emotional attachment?"

"As far as I know. I know he didn't plan on killing me or anything, but he also didn't plan on letting me go. He kept trying to wear me down to make me more compliant and he once mentioned starting over as father and son," Tadashi admitted bleakly. "But not before he'd gotten revenge on Krei. He... he's planning on using the portal to rip apart Krei Tech's newest building at its grand opening."

"That's tomorrow," Wasabi pointed out.

"So we've got until then to come up with a plan to take him down," Hiro said confidently.

"Are you really going to take him head on?" Tadashi asked incredulously. "He's got to know I'm not on the island anymore and I know his plans! What if he changes them? Hell, I'm proof he's up to something! Why aren't we going to the police?"

There was a pause as everyone exchanged looks.

"I don't know how much good they'd do, but having the police as back-up's not a bad idea," Gogo pointed out. Hiro sighed as he ran his gloved fingers through his hair before shoving his helmet back on.

"Yeah, maybe. Look, why don't we discuss this upstairs? At least there we'll all have places to sit while we talk."

There were murmurs of agreement and they turned to head into the café properly only to stop when Tadashi froze.

"Tadashi? What's wrong?" Hiro asked, feeling alarmed by the expression on Tadashi's face.

"I just realized that Aunt Cass is going to freak when she sees me."

"Yeah, probably," Hiro agreed, relaxing and grinning at his brother. "Come on. Let's get it over with."

"Right."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tadashi had been intellectually aware for the entire time he'd been help captive that his supposed death had to be killing his family, but coming face-to-face with Hiro's grief had been what really drove it home. He wasn't looking forward to Aunt Cass's reaction. At least it was late enough that the café shouldn't be too busy. In fact, the Closed sign was hanging in the door.

"Uh, Hiro? Is there a reason your aunt closed up early?" Wasabi asked as they approached the door so they could get to the side entry. 

"No," Hiro replied in a worried tone as he fumbled for his house keys. Once he opened the door, Hiro hesitantly called out, "Aunt Cass?" There was no answer.

"Lights are still on in the café and kitchen," Gogo observed.

"Yeah," Tadashi agreed before glanced up at the darkened upstairs.

"Maybe she's in the bathroom?" Fred suggested but everyone could tell that even he didn't believe that.

"Okay, we'll start with the ground floor and work our way up. Stick together and try not to ruin the place. Okay, guys?" Hiro ordered.

"Right."

Tadashi paused as everyone trooped through the door that separated their apartment stairs from the café. Then he looked up. Despite being dark, he had the distinct impression that up was the way to go.

"Uh, guys?" he began.

"Stay there. We'll be back," Hiro ordered before heading through the kitchen doors, Baymax on his heels.

"And if anything happens, _run_ ," Gogo advised before following. Tadashi frowned as they all disappeared from view. He knew they were just trying to protect him and there was the fact that they all had weapons and he didn't, but their actions just made him angry. He'd been dismissed, commanded, and controlled for weeks now by his kidnapper and he wasn't about to let his friends and brother set him safely aside for his own good. Screw his own good!

Tadashi went up the stairs. Aunt Cass was there, sitting in a chair facing the stairs, hugging Mochi on her lap. Her eyes widened and one hand went to her mouth in shock at the sight of him. Then her eyes darted to their apartment's kitchen and back to him right before she shouted, "Run!"

The dark shadows in the kitchen _moved_. Tadashi was down the stairs and out the door in seconds only to pause when he was at the traffic light not far outside. No one had followed him out. His family and friends were in there and he couldn't bring himself to leave while they were in danger. Grabbing a random passerby, he ordered, "Call the police!" before he ran back inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sound of footsteps thundering on the stairs made Gogo look up with a frown, aware of the others doing the same.

"Tadashi!" Hiro cried out as he ran for the door separating the kitchen area from the café. He didn't make it before the door burst open and a tidal wave of microbots swamped them. Gogo tried pushing back, to move away, but the space was too enclosed and there were too many microbots. They opened the freezer behind her and shoved her in, Honey Lemon landing practically on top of her. She'd barely managed to stand when Wasabi and Fred were shoved into the small space, making her feel claustrophobic. They Baymax was shoved in and there was literally no room to move as she was shoved up against the back of the freezer.

"Hiro!" Baymax called out just before the freezer door shut, locking them into the cold. The overhead light went dark.

"Watch your elbow!"

"Sorry, man."

"Ow! That was my foot."

"Sorry."

"The temperature in here is far too cold to be healthy in the long run. The longer we stay, the more likely you are to develop hypothermia. Activating heater."

"Great, Baymax, thanks," Gogo stated rather sarcastically as she was a bit far from the robot to actually appreciate any warmth he was radiating, as she was squished between a full shelf, the back wall, most of Honey Lemon, and part of Wasabi. She added, "Now, how about getting us out of here?"

"My arms are trapped to my sides by the shelves," Baymax calmly informed them, "And I do not possess enough room to attempt a kick."

"Great. Just great," Gogo muttered.

"Wasabi, man, can you cut us out?" Fred asked.

"Without harming anyone? The only safe place to cut would be the door and I'd have to somehow get past you and Baymax first."

"Right. Honey Lemon?"

"Sorry, Freddy," Honey Lemon said from where she was practically under a shelf as she hadn't quite made it upright before Wasabi had been pushed in, "I'm in an even worse position than Wasabi. The door really is the safest place to try getting out, what with the electrical work and freon and everything, and I can't even reach my purse right now."

"I might be able to reach the touchpad on your purse," Gogo offered.

"Could you catch the ball that comes out? Or get the right chemical combinations?"

Gogo winced and shook her head as she admitted, "Nope, sorry."

"Then that won't work," Honey Lemon stated dejectedly.

"Man, there's got to be something we can do," Fred insisted worriedly.

"While it will not help with the bulk of my armor, I can deflate," Baymax offered before warning, "I would need to turn off my heater first, which is not recommended."

"And I wouldn't recommend staying stuck in here," Gogo bit out.

"If it would give us the space we need to maneuver, then I say do it," Wasabi commanded.

"Very well. Please wait while I deflate."

Gogo hadn't realized how much a difference Baymax's heater had actually made until it turned off. She shivered, then grimaced at the high pitched whine that followed. Fred giggled.

"I'm gonna have words with Tadashi about your design once we're out of here," Gogo threatened.

The gauntlets of Baymax's armor thumped against the floor as he deflated and Fred shuffled forward into the space he'd gained.

"Fred, if you can crouch down, I should be able to climb on top of you and reach past Baymax to the door," Wasabi stated.

"Right. Oof! Man, you're heavy."

"Quit complaining and woman up."

It was beyond awkward and Gogo was fairly certain Wasabi managed to kick her in the helmet, although it was hard to tell in the suffocating dark of the freezer. Then Wasabi lit up a blade and wow, that had to be dangerous, what with his rather precarious position on top of Fred and a deflated Baymax. She was kind of proud of him attempting it at all. 

Despite the odd, unfavorable position, Wasabi managed to cut through the latch, allowing them to spill out of the freezer and into an inferno. The Lucky Cat Café was on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Baymax is diagnosing Tadashi, his comment about the tremors is him saying he's not sure if they're the result of stress, sleep-deprivation, or if they're a psychosomatic response to what Tadashi's been through. All of the above can cause tremors, especially the last as many kidnap victims can experience post-traumatic stress syndrome aka PTSD. Figuring out the cause requires testing that Baymax wouldn't be capable of on his own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about taking so long, but the holidays majorly got in the way, what with all the driving to the various family gatherings over a week and a half. It put me behind schedule on all of my writing. In the meantime, thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed thus far, both the ones who've raved about this story and the ones who expressed disappointment with the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.

Chapter 3

Hiro about had a panic attack when he heard the footsteps clattering on the stairs because of course his stubborn big brother hadn't stayed put. Why, Hiro wondered, had he thought it was a good idea to separate when he'd just gotten Tadashi back, anyways? At the very least he should've left Baymax to guard his brother.

Then, right before Hiro could reach the doors to the café, they burst open under the force of a tidal wave of microbots. Hiro cried out a warning as he was swept aside and slammed against a wall. He was suddenly glad he'd put his helmet back on earlier, as it protected his head. He struggled futilely even as he saw the others thrown into the small freezer they had beside the much larger walk-in fridge. It was old because they didn't use it as much as the fridge, and it looked like Callaghan had disabled what few safety features it still had.

"Hiro!" Baymax called out right before the door was slammed in the robot's face and welded shut by the microbots. Well that wasn't good. Then Hiro's attention was taken by Callaghan wearing the Yokai mask striding up to him.

"You have interfered for the last time," the man growled even as he extended a hand, his fingers looking like they were about to grip something. The microbots holding Hiro's arms let go of his limbs in order to wrap around his neck and lift him off the ground. Hiro choked and tried pulling the microbots away from his throat but, for every one he dislodged, another would take its place.

"I can't have you disrupting my plans," Callaghan continued blithely on even as he used his other hand to pull out a lighter and apply it to the rolling cart of towels and linen napkins Aunt Cass used for the café. The flames licked eagerly at the fabric even as Callaghan kicked the cart up against he far wall by one of the old wooden counters.

"Now to finish dealing with you."

"No!"

Hiro's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Tadashi tackle Callaghan. The microbots let Hiro go and he gasped and coughed even as he pressed a hand to his bruised throat. Then he scrambled for the fire extinguisher because the wall and counter had caught on fire as well. It was easy enough to grab - Aunt Cass had made sure of that after Hiro had accidentally started an electrical fire when he was five - but by then, Callaghan had caught Tadashi with the microbots.

"Hiro! Look out!" Tadashi yelled even as Callaghan sent a wall of microbots at Hiro.

Hiro pulled the pin, aimed, and hit the microbots with the chemical spray. The foam slowed them down but didn't stop them, but then Aunt Cass burst in, holding Mochi. She took one look at the situation before throwing Mochi at Callaghan. Mochi did not like being thrown. He yowled and tore into Callaghan with his claws, making the man cry out. The microbots dropped and then Aunt Cass was grabbing Hiro and Tadashi and dragging them out the service entrance and into the maze of alleys behind their house. Mochi followed, but so did Callaghan and the microbots.

"Hiro, what are you wearing? Never mind. Tell me later. Run!" Aunt Cass managed to say as they scrambled down the alley. They didn't stand a chance against something capable of matching the speed of a car but they gave it a spirited try. None of them made it to the end of the alley before the microbots overtook them. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tadashi yelped at the horribly familiar feeling of being grabbed by the microbots as they arrested his flight. More slid past him and grabbed Hiro and Aunt Cass as well, making them cry out in surprise and alarm before the shroud of microbots holding them visibly tightened, making them both gasp.

"Can't breathe," Aunt Cass forced out. Hiro didn't even manage that much. 

"Stop it! Let them go!" Tadashi shouted, struggling even as Callaghan walked calmly up to them. There was no sign Callaghan heard him at all as Tadashi's family continued to be slowly crushed by the microbots holding them. 

"Please, let them go! You're hurting them!" Tadashi was openly begging now, even as he felt ashamed of doing so in front of his family. He hadn't wanted them to know what he'd gone through, to see how far he was willing to abase himself to keep himself and them safe, but the only other option seemed to be letting them get crushed right in front of him. "You'll kill them if you don't let them go!"

"That's the idea," Callaghan calmly stated, not turning away from the victims he was literally squeezing the life out of. Tadashi felt his breath catch in his throat at the sheer callousness of that statement. The man he'd once admired had every intention of murdering Tadashi's family right in front of him.

"No," Tadashi whispered in horror before the anger rose again and yelled, "No!" He struggled as hard as he could against the microbots holding him even as he continued to scream, "No! You can't! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt them! Please!" 

Tadashi startled when Callaghan suddenly took Tadashi's face in his hands. He hadn't even realized he'd started crying until Callaghan ran his thumbs underneath Tadashi's eyes to wipe away the tears, even as he said, "Shh. It's alright. I'm here."

Tadashi trembled at the touch and glanced helplessly at his family, whose breathing had become shorter and their struggling more desperate. Hiro was looking right back at Tadashi with a horrified look even as he gasped for air. It reminded Tadashi he hadn't cried in front of Hiro since Tadashi was eight and he'd realized his open mourning for their then recently deceased parents was upsetting his baby brother. The few times he'd cried since, it was always somewhere private. At least until Callaghan had started the fire.

"Please, don't do this," Tadashi sobbed because his family was dying inch by inch as they suffocated in front of him and he couldn't stop it. "Please, don't kill my family."

Callaghan's grip on his face tightened enough to make Tadashi wince even as the man growled, " _I_ am your family."

Tadashi looked at him, straight at the eyes of the mask, and defiantly stated, "So are they."

There was a pause that felt like forever but couldn't have been more than a second in all actuality before Callaghan sighed. The microbots loosened from their crushing grip and Hiro and Aunt Cass greedily took in several lung-fulls of air.

"The things I do for you," Callaghan said, shaking his head. 

"So you have trouble not hurting people, do you, you sick, twisted bastard?!" Aunt Cass raged, struggling against the microbots still holding her captive. Tadashi couldn't quite see what Callaghan did next but it made Aunt Cass yelp.

"Leave her alone!" Hiro demanded even as Tadashi cried out, "Please, no!"

"You're alive for one reason and one reason only. Do _not_ try my patience."

The wail of approaching sirens made Callaghan pause and look back at the café, which was now visibly aflame. Then he wrapped all three of his captives up in the microbots and fled. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Callaghan took them to an old, condemned apartment building. Hiro caught a glimpse of a sign warning of the derelict building's eventual demolishment but the date was weeks away. In the meantime, the windows and doors had been blocked and boarded up. Callaghan had obviously been there before, though, because he moved with familiarity through the wreck to what had once been a penthouse apartment.

The living room, while looking somewhat bare due to a lack of furniture, was large with a vaulted ceiling and several rooms led off from it. Callaghan moved through the room, turning on floor lamps that revealed not only the dingy room but that the man had hacked into the electrical grid. Meanwhile, the microbots dragged two chairs from what was either a dining room or kitchen and placed them back-to-back in the center of the room before plopping Hiro and Aunt Cass into them and holding them there. The microbots had yet to let Tadashi go, although it looked like they were cradling Hiro's brother, which was better than the tight, bruising grip they had on Hiro.

Callaghan, once he was done with the lights, went to a duffle bag left by one wall and pulled out several handcuffs and a large length of rope. Hiro growled at the thought that the bag's contents had been intended for Tadashi.

"Are you okay? Tell me you're okay!" Aunt Cass demanded as Callaghan tightly handcuffed Hiro's arms behind the chair.

"I'm fine. Never, ruh," Hiro grunted as Callaghan tightened one of the handcuffs painfully tight before finishing between clenched teeth, "been better."

"Tadashi?" Aunt Cass asked.

"I'm okay," Tadashi reassured their aunt even as Callaghan moved to handcuff her to her chair. Hiro wanted to break something when he heard her gasp and wince in pain as she was bound. Callaghan ignored their discomfort, however, and moved to wind the rope around her and Hiro, binding them and the chairs together.

"What are you doing to do with us?" Aunt Cass asked as Callaghan worked.

"That depends on Tadashi," the man replied as he finished tying them up. Callaghan then moved to handcuff Tadashi. He took a carabiner and threaded it through the chain of the handcuffs before, with the microbots lifting him up, hooking the carabiner into a metal eyelet someone, likely Callaghan himself, had screwed high up into the wall, forcing Tadashi's hands above his head while forcing Tadashi onto his toes and thus keeping the carabiner out of Tadashi's reach.

"There," Callaghan stated as he stepped back from Tadashi as he finished binding him, "This is only temporary while I run and grab a few things." He then placed a hand on top of Tadashi's head in an oddly affectionate gesture. Tadashi shivered but nodded.

"While I'm gone, I expect you to tell them the rules and the consequences of breaking them. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Tadashi murmured. Callaghan grabbed Tadashi's hair and pulled, making Hiro's brother yelp and frantically correct himself. "Father! I meant Father! I'm sorry, Father!"

"Leave him alone!" Hiro commanded, jerking in his chair even as Aunt Cass shrieked, "Get your hands off of my nephew, you creep!"

Callaghan gave them a cold look and stated, "Since you don't know the rules yet, I'll give you a warning this time. If you misbehave, Tadashi will be the one punished. I don't want to, believe me, but you are his responsibility. Do you understand?"

"We understand," Aunt Cass whispered bitterly. Callaghan focused on Hiro and Hiro was aware of Aunt Cass trying to look at him over her shoulder even as Tadashi gave him a pleading look even as Callaghan brutally yanked on his too-long hair.

"I got it," Hiro said venomously. He got that they were just another way for Callaghan to control Tadashi and it made Hiro furious. What he said was enough, though, because Callaghan stopped pulling Tadashi's hair and smoothed it back down, petting him like Tadashi was some sort of dog even as Tadashi quivered under the touch.

"Good," Callaghan said before untangling his fingers from Tadashi's hair and moving to leave. "I'll be right back." Then he was gone, taking the microbots with him.

Once they were alone, Aunt Cass asked, "Tadashi, baby, are you really okay?"

Hiro saw Tadashi try and put on a happy, reassuring mask so Hiro tried to make it clear non-verbally that he wasn't buying it. Hiro wasn't sure if it was his own expression, Aunt Cass's, or if Tadashi was just too exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally to pull off the charade, but the mask crumbled before he really got it up.

"I... No," Tadashi admitted in a broken voice. "No, I'm not. I'm sorry. I never meant for you to be... I didn't want you involved in all of this."

"Oh no, sweetie, no! This is not your fault," Aunt Cass insisted before going on. "It's that man's and when I get my hands on him, ooh, I'm going to rip him to shreds! No one touches my family! He's gonna be bloody confetti when I'm done. No, mincemeat! Then I can feed him to the cat!"

Hiro wondered what the hell she was doing until he saw Tadashi's expression. Shocked wonder gave way to fond amusement, complete with a tiny but genuine smile. It was much better than the broken look from before, so Hiro played along.

"Uh, Mochi's pretty fat," Hiro stated. "Should we be worried?"

"Don't be silly, sweetie. If I limited myself to feeding him only the flesh of my enemies, he'd be a lot thinner."

Hiro tried shooting her an incredulous look over his shoulder.

"Don't give me that look, mister."

"What look?" Hiro asked innocently.

"Ha! That doesn't fool me. I've got eyes in the back of my head!"

"Then all they'd be able to see is the back of my head," Hiro pointed out.

A laugh interrupted their mock fight. Sure, it sounded a step away from a sob, but it was still a laugh. When Tadashi finished laughing, he stated, "Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed this."

"Missed you too, sweetie," Aunt Cass murmured back.

Hiro just felt proud he'd made Tadashi laugh. Callaghan might have managed to steal Tadashi's confidence and God knows what else, but he hadn't taken Tadashi's laughter. He wouldn't, either, not if Hiro had any say. Still, based on the way the smile slid away, leaving a sort of melancholy despair etched into his brother's face, Hiro realized keeping Tadashi mentally, emotionally, and physically intact was going to be one of the hardest challenges he'd ever faced. He hoped their friends found them soon. Hiro wasn't sure how long Tadashi could last without breaking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, here it is, after months of waiting:

Chapter 4

Wasabi yelped as he pitched headfirst into the burning kitchen, although Baymax thankfully grabbed him before he could tumble too far.

"Oh no," the robot intoned. Wasabi scrambled to his feet even as he clung to Baymax's deflated form.

"Move it! I don't want to be stuck in here!" Gogo shouted.

"There's a fire out here!" Wasabi stated, panicked.

"Yeah? And this'll turn into an oven if we stay here!" Gogo shot back.

"Leaving the burning building would be ideal. Staying here would be detrimental to your health," Baymax agreed even as he shuffled out of the freezer. Fred burst out right after, yelling, "Tadashi! Hiro? Ms. C? Mochi! Answer me!"

Then a chem ball came flying out and a fire retardant foam smothered some of the flames.

"Front door!" Honey Lemon ordered as she threw more balls to clear a path. "Go! Now!"

"But... but... the others!" Fred protested even as Gogo grabbed him and dragged him out of the kitchen, followed closely by Wasabi pulling a still-deflated and swaying Baymax. Honey Lemon held the rear, throwing more of the fire retardant foam-filled balls as she went.

"We won't do any good if we get ourselves killed!" Gogo snapped at him before pausing. The fire must have spread into the stairwell because that side of the café was on fire as well, blocking the door.

"We're trapped!" Wasabi declared, voice hitting a high note. Gogo threw a disk and shattered the closest window.

"That works. Whoa!"

The flames by the stairs had leapt higher with the extra oxygen and were spreading even more rapidly. Only Honey Lemon throwing several of her flame retardant balls at once gave them enough time to get out the window.

"Is everyone alright?" Honey Lemon asked once they were out of the building and practically in the street.

"We're fine."

"Fine."

"Please wait while I inflate."

"But where's the little dude and Tadashi and Mochi and Aunt C?" Fred asked, sounding more than a little worried.

"Baymax, can you scan while you're inflating?" Honey Lemon asked.

"Yes. Scanning now. They are located somewhere behind the building. Hiro, Tadashi, and Aunt Cass are with the masked man. There are also twenty people in the surrounding buildings and the fire is spreading."

"Not cool," Fred said before straightening. "We need to help."

"I don't like leaving them with Callaghan," Gogo stated, "but he's not likely to kill them, not with the way he's kept Tadashi all this time. We help here first, them next. Honey Lemon, try and slow the spread of the fire. Everyone else, evacuate as many people as possible. If Callaghan hangs around, feel free to try and take him out, but innocent people to safety first, okay? Go!"

They scattered just before a police car and the first fire truck pulled up to the Lucky Cat.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Despite Gogo's words, she headed in the direction the Hamadas were supposedly in first. She was the fastest and if she could free them... She caught a glimpse of the microbots disappearing over a rooftop and since there weren't any bodies, it meant Callaghan had her friends and their aunt. She moved to follow when a scream caught her attention. 

The house next to the Lucky Cat was on fire now and that's where the scream had come from. Gogo glanced at where she'd seen the microbots disappear before turning away and toward the screams. Tadashi would never forgive her if she let someone die in order to rescue him, the self-sacrificing jerk.

She managed to break a second story window with a disk and get out two frightened kids with only a little difficulty before she turned to the next building. No one was going to mourn after this fire, not if she had anything to say about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Officer Rosa Mendez wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. Right now, it was most obviously the fire department's job. The fire chief was even now calling in more units because they hadn't actually come expecting a fire of this size, if at all. The police were the ones that had been called.

This guy had phoned in to emergency services saying he'd been assaulted by a ghost outside the Lucky Cat Café even as the restaurant had been 'taken over by a cloud of darkness'. Then the ghost had supposedly disappeared inside. She'd been sent out, even if only to escort the obviously deranged individual to a mental health facility, and they'd sent a fire truck along with just in case the 'cloud of darkness' was smoke.

There was a fire, all right, a big one, and several individuals in weird gear were evacuating the locals while a girl who was dressed like the others threw balls of some sort of flame-resistant foam that her _purse_ was making. And then there was the large robot Rosa had nearly attacked because it had startled her. Only the fact that it was holding a cat had stopped her.

"I have found Mochi," it proudly proclaimed before handing the cat to a crying girl, who even now hugged the fat furball tight. Then the robot had gone and started helping the EMTs that had just arrived with triage.

"Officer? Officer, can I talk to you?" a man asked, coming up to Mendez.

"Yes," she quickly agreed, pulling out her notebook and a pen.

"Thank you! I'm the one that called the police. I... I need to tell you what I saw so he won't haunt me."

"Uh... huh," Mendez said, her polite expression freezing. Great, it was the guy she was probably going to have to escort to the mental health services.

"I go to this café. Not all the time, but enough to recognize the family who owns and runs it on sight and to send a condolence card when the older boy died in that fire at the college a few weeks back. Anyway, I was walking by when the older boy - the one that's _dead_ \- burst out, grabbed me, and demanded I call the police before running back inside and disappearing. Then I saw this dark wave through the windows as it carried a demon into the kitchen! And it wasn't smoke, either! The darkness moved like it was living thing!"

Officer Mendez felt her eyebrows rise at this story. But then the individual in the blue kaiju suit, who'd stopped to drop off some people with the robot and had apparently stayed to listen to the end of the story, spoke up.

"Dude, that is a totally awesome description! That is totes what happened!"

"Wait, what?" Mendez asked, incredulous.

"See, the lizard man agrees with me! I'm not crazy!" the witness exclaimed.

"So there's actually a ghost, a demon, and a wave of darkness involved in this mess?!" Mendez demanded even as the yellow-suited woman zoomed up to drop off a kid clutching a small dog. She apparently heard Mendez, because she quickly explained, "The black wave is micro-technology, the demon is the masked man who started the fire, and the ghost is probably the kidnapping victim whose death was faked."

Then the woman zoomed back off, her lizard-suited companion following with an impressive bound.

"What? Wait! Come back here and explain all of that!"

"I'd love to explain."

Mendez turned to see the guy in the green suit come up, helping an inappropriately-dressed elderly lady holding a cane. Dang, he was _fine_. Yellow suddenly showed back up.

"Wasabi, I need your blades. There's a beam blocking a family."

"After everyone's safe," the man, Wasabi apparently, amended.

"Yeah, right. Of course," Mendez agreed. She could wait if it meant a chat with the hunk. She watched him run after Yellow.

"What a nice young man," the old lady stated before adding slyly, "And that outfit of his really hugs his butt, doesn't it?"

Mendez flushed even as she tore her gaze away from said piece of anatomy, only to see the caller/witness giving her a knowing look while the eighty-year-old lady beamed at her.

"Uh... what were your names again?" Mendez asked, trying to go for professional again.

"Ken Tate."

"Hanako Matsuda and you shouldn't be shy, honey. You're young enough you should be grabbing a handful while you can. It's how I got my husband, rest his soul." 

"You're husband's dead?" Ken Tate asked the old lady.

"Oh, yes. For some time now. I miss him, of course. Especially the sex," Mrs. Matsuda replied.

Mendez resolutely ignored that while she continued to take their statements. Once she'd gotten them, she got another headache.

"Garret Bryant, Ferret News! Can you give us a statement, Officer? We've heard rumors that this was arson!"

"Where'd you hear that?" Rosa Mendez wondered out loud. She really should've called for back-up, but this had looked like it was the firefighters' business. Now she had people dressed up like superheroes and rumors of arson and, with her luck, kidnapping going around. Then she shook her head and stated, "No comment," before moving to radio in about the current mess.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well, the fire department, the police, _and_ the media are here. Now what?" Wasabi asked once the team could take a breather. The firefighters had the frighteningly large blaze under control now and all the civilians in the area were being evacuated to safer locations.

"We tell them the truth," Honey Lemon insisted.

"The whole truth? Part of the truth? Some of the truth? And are we telling the same amount of truth to every person and group?" Fred inquired.

After a paused, Gogo declared, "The whole truth, but only to the police. Some of what we know is obviously considered classified by the government. Let the cops decided what should be said and not. In the meantime, if anyone else asks, be truthful but not detailed."

"Got it," Wasabi confirmed while the others nodded.

"Fred, try and corral Baymax if he's done helping the EMTs. As for the rest of us, come on. Let's go talk to that cop that got here first. She seems to know the most right now."

While Fred both literally and figuratively bounced off, Gogo shoved Wasabi in front as she and Honey Lemon hung back a bit. Wasabi sighed and girded his loins before heading for the police officer who seemed to be trying to make sense of the whole mess. She looked pathetically grateful when she saw him approaching.

"The, uh, fire's pretty well contained now, so I have a moment if you have questions," he managed, internally wincing because _of course_ she had questions, likely ranging from 'why are you dressed that way?' to 'so where you _you_ when the fire started?'

"Oh, I have questions alright," the officer confirmed. Wasabi nervously noticed her obviously looking over his supersuit.

"Like if you're single and what's your number!" Mrs. Matsuda suddenly called over with a leer as she was escorted away.

Wasabi flushed. He'd eaten at the Lucky Cat enough to be aware of Mrs. Matsuda's incorrigible nature but he hadn't thought she'd say something like that in front of a police officer. A blushing police officer who was giving the old lady a look that practically screamed 'Shut up!' Huh. He suddenly got the impression he'd been shoved into front to talk to the officer for reasons beyond his stickler-for-the-rules attitude. Wait. Did that mean she'd just been checking him out? By the time his thought process had reached that point, the officer was turning back with an apologetic smile.

"Name?"

"Wasabi," he automatically replied before wincing and adding, "I, uh... that is-"

"Secret identity? Don't worry, I get it."

"You do?" Wasabi asked even as he got a reminder the rest of the team was listening in the form of Gogo's elbow to his back. "That's, uh, great! And you are?"

"Rosa Mendez. Officer Mendez, that is."

"Gogo," Gogo introduced herself bluntly.

"I'm Honey Lemon, and those are Baymax and, um, Fredzilla," Honey Lemon added with a gesture at where Fred and Baymax were approaching.

"And _I_ am Moore. _Captain_ Moore."

The team blinked and Mendez straightened up as a stern-looking older man in a police officer's uniform strode up to them.

"Mind starting at the beginning and telling me what's going on?" Captain Moore politely insisted.

"Well, it started when our friend, Tadashi Hamada, died in the SFIT fire a few weeks back and we decided to keep an eye on his little brother, Hiro..." Fred began. He was actually a really good storyteller so, aside from the occasional interjection from the team, he was the one to do the actual explaining. At least until a certain point.

"Wait," Moore interrupted, "You found and rescued a kidnapping victim and _didn't_ bring him straight to us?"

"We were planning on it," Wasabi quickly defended before Gogo added, "We thought stopping a distraught teenager from going after the one responsible on his own took priority."

Moore frowned but nodded.

"I'll accept that, but you still should've called us en-route."

Wasabi flinched and Honey Lemon winced while Gogo inclined her head in acknowledgment of the critique. Fred just quickly wrapped up his story. Captain Moore then turned to Officer Mendez and asked, "Do you have any evidence to corroborate this?"

"I've got at least one eyewitness who claims to have both seen and briefly interacted with Tadashi Hamada earlier tonight. Said witness also saw a person in a mask controlling a 'wave of darkness'," Mendez confirmed. "There might be more. I was going to head over to where they were moving the evacuees and ask around next."

"Good, now-" Captain Moore stated only to be interrupted by a man with a cameraman following him.

"Garret Bryant, Ferret News! Is the rumor true that these so-called 'superheroes' set the fire so they could rescue people from it?"

"What?" Gogo asked flatly.

"But we would never-!" Honey Lemon began even as Fred practically howled, "No, we didn't!"

"Enough!" Moore barked before turning to Officer Mendez and commanding, "Get them out of here!"

"The public has the right to know!" Bryant shot out.

"It has the right to know the _truth_ , not whatever lies you're pandering."

"Lies?! _They're_ the ones claiming a dead college student was kidnapped by his equally deceased professor! Have you no shame, claiming ill of the dead?" Bryant insinuated, aiming the last bit at the team.

"I assure you, sir, that Tadashi Hamada is alive," Baymax calmly insisted, holding up one finger.

"Yeah? Prove it," the reporter demanded. Baymax blinked.

"Get him out of here!" Moore repeated. Mendez started to escort Bryant away when the sound of Baymax's chest armor hitting the ground caught everyone's attention. Even as everyone turned to look at the robot, the screen on Baymax's chest lit up with a video.

"This is Tadashi Hamada and it's been two weeks since I was kidnapped by Robert Callaghan. I'm putting this video with the information on Silent Sparrow in hopes that someone comes looking for it. I'm not entirely certain what he has planned for me but, just in case, tell my family I love them.

"If you don't already know, then Callaghan plans on using the Silent Sparrow project to destroy Krei Tech's newest building-"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Krei spat out his after-dinner coffee and then stared wide-eyed at the live news feed before scrambling for his phone.

"Get me the General's number," he barked at his assistant, " _Now_!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"-If it hasn't happened yet, I pray you find a way to stop him. If it has, then I... I'm so sorry."

The speech stopped then but the video played a little longer, showing Tadashi freezing at a sudden noise before quickly ending the video feed. Captain Moore quickly wanted to know, "What on earth is Silent Sparrow?"

"Wait, how'd you get that?" Wasabi asked a beat later.

"I took the liberty of downloading it from the computer. Everyone seemed to think it was important," Baymax calmly explained. "With the garage now destroyed, surely this is a good thing?"

"Well, yeah," Wasabi agreed only to wince again because Baymax had started playing the Silent Sparrow footage.

"My God," the captain stated as they watched the new video.

"Are you getting this?" Bryant hissed at his cameraman.

"I'm getting it. Wow."

That seemed to remind Captain Moore that the reporter was still there.

"Mendez! Get them out of here! You lot, the... superheroes. You're coming with me. Move it, people!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Callaghan had gone to that particular box store simply because it had food, clothing, toiletries and a rather shoddy security system. Well, shoddy to someone with a lifetime of studying robotics behind him. It was while he was heading away from the health and beauty section that he passed a bank of TVs whose programing had been preempted by the local news. Said news made him pause and then stop entirely, face darkening. Then he lashed out at the closest screen, cracking it.

Callaghan only stopped long enough after that to shake out his hand and grab a small, portable TV before stalking off. He would have to grab what he still needed fast and then head back. _Someone_ had been very, very _naughty_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's given me fits for awhile. I have several different versions involving the police officers before finally stumbling across one that made me happy. The rest of it is, surprisingly, much easier for me to get into the mind-frame of. Between that and the fact the chapters want to be shorter for this story, I'm going to try and meet a goal of updating around once a week, barring any trouble or real life getting in the way.
> 
> Oops! Nearly forgot to add this: [Travler66 made coverart](http://travler66.tumblr.com/private/117963064831/tumblr_nnqo2ssjz71si59xk) for the first two episodes of my Big Heroes series and is letting me share the link, as well as use the art on ff.n for the story pictures. Eee!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I highly recommend listening to [Cremona by Audiomachine](https://youtu.be/zLilmcIr0gg) for the second half of this chapter.

Chapter 5

Cass was wondering when her world had been turned upside-down. First, that strange masked man had broken into the house and forced her to close the café before making her take a seat on a chair in the living room while he hid in the kitchen. Then Tadashi had turned out to be alive. The masked stranger had apparently thought she'd been too scared to follow him when he'd chased her nephew but Cass didn't let anyone hurt her family. She hadn't even really been thinking when she'd thrown the cat at the bastard. She'd just grabbed her boys and ran and why the hell was Hiro dressed up in some sort of superhero costume? Then they'd been caught and worse than the slow, crushing suffocation had been the realization that, while she'd been mourning, Tadashi had been trapped with this monster. Her brave boy had managed to talk the bastard out of killing them but now they'd been kidnapped as well.

It was more than a little alarming to watch the masked man treat her older nephew like some sort of cherished pet, especially since the man was obviously capable of turning violent at the slightest provocation. And when Tadashi had been forced to call the man 'Father' in order to get him to relent... Tadashi had always taken such pride in his real father and the culture he belonged to, resulting in Cass looking up Japanese holidays and traditional recipes and other such things. The idea of that man tainting what few memories Tadashi still had of his real father were like a knife cutting curls of pain from her heart.

Tadashi's worn and frightened look was now all too comprehensible. He was alive, though, and Cass took comfort in that fact even as she tried to make him laugh. Laughter was good for you, wasn't it? And it looked like Tadashi hadn't had a reason to laugh since the fire. Hiro didn't seem to be taking this whole situation well at all, so Cass was relived when he played along with her to make Tadashi smile. Now, if only they could get free and figure out who that masked bastard was so they could put him behind bars.

'Alright, Cass, think,' she silently told herself, 'Put all of those mystery novels you read to good use.' Fact, the man had what she was pretty certain were Hiro's microbots, the ones he'd made for the showcase and hadn't even started to rebuild after the fire, which meant these had to be the one from before the fire. They'd survived it. So had Tadashi, but he certainly wasn't the one controlling them and he would've come straight back to them if he'd used them to save himself and that professor from the fire. Professor. Oh god, their kidnapper was probably that professor. Callaghan, wasn't it? She should know because it had cropped up every single time someone mentioned Tadashi's death. Supposed death.

"God, that masked bastard is that professor you went into save, isn't he?" Cass moaned out loud. She felt Hiro startle behind her while Tadashi stared in surprise before an understanding look crossed his face and he nodded.

"Yeah," he confirmed, "Professor Robert Callaghan."

"Do you know why he's doing all of this?" Cass asked because she needed to know.

"His daughter, Abigail," Hiro, of all people, replied.

"Wait, how do you know that?"

"Well... it's kind of a long story," Hiro hemmed and hawed.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're not going anywhere," Cass stated dryly. "Tell me everything. Both of you." She was as silent as a stone as first Tadashi and then Hiro told her about their last few weeks.

"...and that's everything. ...Aunt Cass?" Hiro finished, trying to look at her from over his shoulder based on the movement she could feel. He probably had that one look on his face, the one he always got when he knew he was in trouble, that was part hope and part trepidation.

"I can't believe I didn't notice you forming a superhero team right under my nose. I'm a horrible guardian, aren't I?"

"No! Not at all! You've been great!" Hiro insisted.

"Great? Hardly, if you've only switched getting arrested for gambling with death-defying vigilantism. If I was there more..." Cass trailed off on her lament.

"We understand you being busy with the café," Tadashi offered.

"It may be what pays the bills but it's resulted in you pretty much raising yourself and your brother and for that, I'm sorry. Maybe this is a good thing. Gives us time together, just the three of us. The whole family all together."

"There's five of us," Hiro corrected her. "You forgot Baymax and Mochi."

"Ah, that's right. I hope Mochi's okay."

"Baymax will look after him," Hiro promised.

"Good. Tadashi?" Her oldest nephew was frowning.

"I still need to tell you the rules. Before he comes back," he stated grimly. Cass frowned but nodded.

"Alright. Start with rule number one and work your way up."

"Right. Rule One: always address Callaghan with respect when he's here. Rule Two-"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Really? Those are the rules?" Hiro asked incredulously once Tadashi was finished.

"Hey, I didn't come with them. But if... if you don't follow them..." Tadashi trailed off and shivered again, making his handcuff chain rattle slightly.

"It's okay," Hiro was quick to assure him. "I'll be so obedient that you'll be wondering when I got replaced by a pod person."

Tadashi huffed but grinned to show he appreciated Hiro's attempt at lightening the situation. Then he realized the shoes Hiro was wearing and had obviously modified were one of the pairs he'd put a tracking device in. Licking his suddenly dry lips, Tadashi asked, "Hiro, did you... when you updated those shoes, did you do anything to the tongue?"

"I... don't think so, why?"

"Tracking device," Tadashi blurted out.

"What?" both Hiro and Aunt Cass demanded. Aunt Cass looked horrified and Hiro didn't look much happier.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm not really proud of putting it there, but if our friends or the police can use it to find us-"

"Wait, _you_ put it there?" Hiro interrupted, comprehension dawning on his face before he ruefully added, "That's how you always found me at bot fights, isn't it? And here I was trying to prevent you from hacking my phone and computer."

"Yeah, well... I'm still not proud of doing it. It's a little too close to what Callaghan's doing."

"Hey, no! You are not like him!" Hiro spat. "You'd never lock me up for my own good. You just made sure you could find me if I got myself into trouble. And, let's face it, I was kinda going out looking for it."

Tadashi didn't look convinced but he still teased, "If? I think you mean when you got yourself into trouble."

"Hah! You wish." 

"Boys," Aunt Cass muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, Aunt Cass," they both automatically replied.

"I should hope so. While I'm not going to complain about the tracking device since it might be useful, you shouldn't be violating your brother's privacy, Tadashi. I'm glad that you're aware of that, though. You're a good person. You just need to be a bit better about boundaries. As for Hiro-"

"I haven't gone bot fighting since being arrested," Hiro protested.

"No, because you've been forming a team of vigilante superheroes instead. What were you all thinking?! I knew I should've picked up a book on parenting."

"I, uh, don't think parenting books cover how to raise superheroes... or supervillains for that matter."

Aunt Cass sighed and admitted, "You're probably right about that. I'm still not sure what to do with you once we get out of this."

There was a pause before Hiro tried changing the subject, "Callaghan's seriously creepy. I'm sorry you had to go through this alone before, Tadashi."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly thrilled you're involved now."

"Hey. We'll be okay. Family sticks together. We'll all get through this," Aunt Cass insisted.

Tadashi gave him a tight smile and said, "Thanks." Then he froze as an all too familiar sound reached his ears.

"Tadashi? What-?"

"Shh!" Tadashi hushed his family. They gave him worried looks but Tadashi didn't notice. He'd already gone pale as he recognized the odd clicking susurrus the microbots made while moving. He'd come to know and fear that sound and, sure enough, Callaghan was soon deposited into the room by a wave of the tiny robots. Callaghan reached into the duffle bag he was carrying, pulled out a small electronic device and dropped the bag. The bag hit the floor with a thump that made Tadashi flinch and it spilled some of its contents on the floor.

"What is this?" Callaghan asked, expression cold and voice quietly furious.

"I-I don't..." Tadashi stammered, frightened even as he tried to think of what had possibly set the man off. Then he realized the small electronic had a screen and on the screen was the video he'd managed to sneakily make one day while Callaghan was out.

"Oh God," Tadashi whispered, blanching. Callaghan suddenly seemed to tower over him and Tadashi didn't realize the microbots were lifting the older man until Callaghan undid the carabiner clip and dragged Tadashi away from the wall by the handcuffs. Tadashi stumbled forward, vaguely aware of his family's worried shouting, until the microbots swept his feet out from under him. He hit the floor with his hands and knees and winced. He winced again as Callaghan grabbed his hair to pull his head up and shoved the little TV screen into his face.

"Your little rebellion is all over the news! Krei's probably skipped town by now! And his building will have protection as well because of your stupid, little stunt!" Callaghan thundered. "I fed you, I clothed you, I saved your _very life_ and _this_ is how you repay me?!"

"-sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Tadashi wasn't certain when he'd started babbling that phrase over and over again but he stopped when a hand covered his mouth, fingers and thumb digging painfully into his cheeks. He stared up at Callaghan, terrified, while the man coolly studied Tadashi's kneeling form.

"No, I don't think you are. But you will be. You took away my chance at revenge, so I'm going to take something equally precious from you."

What? But the only thing Tadashi could even begin to have a claim on was... His eyes flickered towards his family and then back to Callaghan, who nodded ever so slightly before releasing Tadashi and moving away.

"No, please!" Tadashi begged as he lunged forward to grab the man's hand. Callaghan shrugged him off and the microbots pulled Tadashi back into a kneeling position while the man continued on to the kitchen.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" Aunt Cass demanded while Hiro cursed and twisted in his bonds, having obviously caught on. She went silent but Hiro cursed and struggled harder when Callaghan returned holding a knife.

"Please, I'm begging you, don't hurt them!"

Callaghan ignored Tadashi's attempts at swaying him and brought the knife to bear on the rope that bound Hiro and Aunt Cass to the chairs. Aunt Cass yelped as the blade got too close to her arm and left a shallow cut. Hiro tried standing - and what he planned to do while his hands were still handcuffed behind his back, Tadashi didn't know - but was shoved back into his chair and held there by the microbots even as Callaghan pulled Aunt Cass into a standing position.

"Aunt Cass!" Hiro shouted even as she cried out, "Let me go, you creep! Ow!"

"The bathroom, I think. Easier to clean up the mess," Callaghan mused as he twisted her arms behind her back. He started to frog-march her towards said bathroom but paused when Tadashi literally started crying.

"Please, you don't have to do this. Just... _please_." The microbots took over holding Aunt Cass hostage while Callaghan pulled Tadashi upright.

"Hush, now. I know it hurts but it wouldn't be a punishment if it didn't hurt. You still have to learn your lesson."

"B-but I _have_! I've learned my lesson! I won't do _anything_ like that ever again! Please, you can't," Tadashi begged only to flinch as Callaghan's grip on him tightened.

"I _can_ and I _will_. A father sets boundaries and I'd be a pretty poor example if I didn't follow through. Now come on."

"Aunt Cass! Tadashi!" Hiro shrieked as Callaghan pulled them into the bathroom, leaving the boy alone in the living room. Aunt Cass was shoved into the old tub while Tadashi was forcibly sat on the closed lid of the toilet and pinned there by the microbots.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," Aunt Cass was repeated as she shrank back in the tub. Hiro was still shouting from the other room.

"Aunt Cass! Tadashi! Talk to me, damn it! Callaghan, leave them alone, you bastard!"

"I'm okay, baby! It'll be okay," Aunt Cass called in response before looking right at Tadashi and clearly stating, "Be strong."

That made Tadashi cry harder. Then she yelped as Callaghan slapped her and then twisted a hand in her hair before bringing the knife back into play.

"She's still alive!" Tadashi shrilled. Callaghan paused with the tip of the knife cutting the thin skin of Aunt Cass's neck. Aunt Cass seemed to be holding her breath lest she be injured further.

"What?" Callaghan asked with a confused frown.

"Abigail-" Tadashi hoarsely began, then paused to lick his lips as he rapidly thought of the best way to phrase everything. "Abigail's still alive. We can get her, but we need Aunt Cass alive."

Callaghan shoved Aunt Cass, bleeding but still alive and likely to remain so for the time being, down in the tub and grabbed Tadashi by the hair. Still holding the bloody knife, the older man growled, "Explain."

It was just a possibility, one Tadashi wasn't even sure he believed in, but it was the only thing he had left, the only thing he could offer that might stop Callaghan, so he elaborated, "It's in the numbers. There was enough space between the portals that a good enough pilot could have avoided the explosion. And Abigail's a _great_ pilot. It's why Krei chose her, right? And the pod was designed with advanced life support, including hyper-sleep, if something happened and she got temporarily stranded. If we could somehow mount an expedition _into_ the portal... but we'd need supplies and the best way to get them would be to trade for them."

Callaghan held up an hand and Tadashi obediently stopped. In fact, he was holding his breath, hoping with all his might Callaghan would accept his reasoning. There would be hell to pay if Abigail hadn't survived but if _they_ could stay alive long enough then there was a possibility they could be found and rescued. Perhaps faster if Callaghan traded Aunt Cass for the supplies needed to mount an expedition because then she could find the tracer for the tracker in Hiro's shoe. To his relief, Callaghan seemed to be considering it.

"Come on," Callaghan ordered as he dragged Tadashi upright. The microbots picked up and held Aunt Cass and all of them were pulled back into the living room. Hiro jerked upright and avidly studied them as they cam back in.

"She's bleeding," Hiro accused.

"It'll stop soon," Callaghan stated callously as the microbots tossed Aunt Cass back into her chair and held her there in much the same way as they were pinning down Hiro.

"The robot. The one Tadashi made. You put armor on it and it flies now. Could it fly in a vacuum?"

"You mean, like, outer space?" Hiro asked doubtfully before adding, "He wouldn't be able to break atmosphere."

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of inside the portal."

"Oh, um... yeah, probably," Hiro admitted, "But he's a robot. There's a reason I ride on his back and it's not just because it's awesome."

"You _what_?" Tadashi couldn't help but cry out. Hiro gave him a sheepish grin but it was Callaghan giving Tadashi a stern look that caused Tadashi's silence.

"You're saying the robot can't go in on it's own," Callaghan stated knowingly.

"Well, he _could_ , but I'm assuming you want him to do a bit more than just cross the threshold and then back," Hiro pointed out archly.

"You're right, it's not. Tadashi here thinks our Abigail is alive. It might just be wishful thinking on his part, but I can't ignore the possibility."

Hiro was obviously contemplating how a rescue mission like that could play out.

"It could work. I'd have to improve my suit because who knows what's on the other side but a breathable atmosphere probably isn't it. But aside from that-"

"Good. Now, what's the likelihood your team will exchange the robot and the parts we need for her," Callaghan inquired, gesturing at Aunt Cass. 

Hiro frowned but stated, "A robot and some gear for a living person? No contest. They'll do the exchange."

"Excellent! First thing tomorrow, that's what we'll do."

"Tomorrow?" Aunt Cass finally spoke up, "Why tomorrow?"

Callaghan shook his head and said, "Everyone's still in an uproar. No, better to do this slow and careful rather than fast and sloppy. Abigail's waited this long. She can hold on long enough for us to rescue her properly."


End file.
